Murder Trial Tied to Fast and Furious Postponed

The trial of two Mexican men charged with murdering U.S. Border Agent Brian Terry with rifles traced to the bungled federal Fast and Furious gunrunning debacle has been postponed, according to the Arizona Star.

The trial was scheduled to start June 12, but presiding U.S. District Court Judge David C. Bury decided to delay at the request of both sides in the case, according to the Arizona Star. He did not indicate when a new trial date would be set.

But Bury did schedule a status hearing on the case against Manuel Osorio-Arellanes and his brother, Rito, for Aug. 20. Both men are charged with murdering Terry, who was fatally wounded in a shoot-out with border bandits on Dec. 14, 2010.

Authorities believe two rifles used in the shooting may have been obtained through the Fast and Furious gunrunning operation set up by the U.S. Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to trace weapons back to Mexican drug cartels.

According to disclosures made after Terry’s murder, some 2,020 guns, including .50 caliber sniper rifles, were smuggled into Mexico in 2009 and 2010 under the program.

But ATF officials quickly lost track of the weapons. Only 1,000 have since been recovered and the rest, apparently, remain in the hands of drug cartels they were supposed to help identify.